The late Neolithic and early Metal ages (2500years-500years BC) are the periods of time that Khmer ancestors still made a living as tribal farmers and had already practiced tattoo.

As mentioned in the previous point, the custom of dressing with breechcloth by the Khmer Leou indicates that the use of this dress is very ancient, as attested by ancient documents. The figuration and other chronicles bear the testimony of the Khmer breechcloth custom, depicted in artifacts of the Metal age, found in Nokor Reachsima, located in Thailand and also in bronze sculptures in Cambodia.These archeological testimonies were treated as an outcome of Khmer traditional society. The Khmer breechcloth is more than 2500 years old. In addition to the to Chronicles and other proofs of breechcloth dressing, three tiny of bronze sculptures have been found by Mr.

For nearly a decade, a majority of French and Khmer people have believed that the way we dressed was taught by the Indians since the early 1st century B.C, because the Khmer residents were no clothing.In reality, our Khmer Loeu in the prehistoric era as well as to day were dressed with long or short breechclouts and skirts to cover the bodies or simply protect from the weather ,before the arrival of the Indian (Kalinga) civilization.Moreover, we notice that in the early 1st century B.C, Kben dressing was in fashion and became very popular. It was originally worn by the Hindu people in Southeast India, and has remained in fashion until the present times, particularly in India as well as in Cambodia.Therefore, the statement that the Khmer did not wear any clothes before the arrival of the Indian culture must be held as erroneous. That the Khmer people adhered to the Indian tradition does not mean they did not have their own clothing.The question is that how can we prove this? We will mention some finds resulting from archaeological research in some historic sites, located in Cambodia Thailand, and South Vietnam, where our ancestors lived.The evidence of weaving cloth was generally found through the prehistoric ancient objects such as the imprint of cotton thread, stuck on domestic tools or Plè Trol, and the instruments for spinning cotton thread. The significant pieces of clothing that these artefacts suggest were breechclouts and skirts, used by men and women alike. Furthermore, in the early 20th century, the breechclout and skirt custom was very popular in remote areas, unchanged in spite of Indianization .The sculptures on the wall of the Bayon, Banteay Chhmar, and Angkor Wat temples show the manner of Khmer traditional dressing in the 12th and 13th centuries B.C, including the use of breechclout and skirt which is remarkable evidence.Significantly,the Chinese historic records were bent on taking sides with the Han culture, stating that everything with which the Chinese were not familiar belonged to a world of barbarians.In summary, the Khmer people, both men and women customarily wore the Kben that has been very popular from the 1st century until the present time and typically popular with the Hindu populations, especially the Tamil group in Southeast India and perhaps that is what the Chinese records are mentioning.In accordance with the conceptual analysis above; we can assume that the Khmer people have been wearing clothes at least since the Metal age.

In Western countries before World War II, women were expected to stay home, raise a family and certainly not to join the workforce-that was the domain of men. But when the men went to war, women were called into the breach and, when they came back, women were not so keen to go back to being wives and mothers alone. They stayed, and they fought for rights like equal pay for equal work, the right not to be discriminated against because of their sex, and access to the same benefits and pensions.
That took many years, and the struggle in the west, even today, is far from over, but women now are an indispensable part of the workforce, and expect access to the same levels of education and wages as men.

In Khmer "Mekong" means "mother of waters", a name of true relevance for the people who survive at the water’s edge, whose lives revolve around agriculture and fishing. The river is a home for millions; it is a means of employment and a source of food.

The Mekong River is one of the world’s 10 longest rivers. Its source is in the mountains of Tibet, after which it flows across Myanmar and Laos PDR, down through Thailand to Cambodia, before it reaches Vietnam and the South China Sea, a journey of some 4,350km. In Cambodia the Mekong roars down the rocks at the Khone rapids on the border with Laos PDR, firstly irrigating the soil of Steung Treng province, before traveling south through five provinces, before leaving Cambodia at Prey Veng for Vietnam. Fifty-five million people depend on the river.

In a country where fish is the staple source of protein and land is at a premium, most villages are located along the lakes and rivers and many are built to actually float on the waterways. This is especially the case around the shores of the enormous Tonle Sap Lake.

Kompong Luong is an entire commune of five floating villages located on the lake in the Pursat province area. Like most floating communities, it is a sophisticated and bustling township of fisherfolk, boat builders and businessmen, providing everything which a town on dry land can provide its population. The people of Kompong Luong almost never need leave the water.

The sugar palm tree, or palmyra palm, grows extensively in India, Myanmar and Cambodia where the tree is part of the national heritage, even taking pride of place on a 500 Riel note. The sugar palm tree say "Thnot" in khmer language and it is also a very important national resource in Cambodia. Since encouragement from King Norodom in 1901 for every family to plant a few trees on their land, the sugar palm tree population has increased dramatically. It is estimated that at present, at least 3 million trees cover the Cambodian plains.

A professor at the Cambodian Technical School and manager of Khmer Nature Craft Mr. Pok Leak Reasey says, "I remember vividly commenting on them in my youth. They were growing in my back yard at home. I wondered when they had been planted there and even my grandparents didn’t know. They said they had grown in Cambodia since the beginning of Cambodian history since the Funan period."

If you are searching for something more than potato chips, peanuts and pretzels; satisfy your epicuriosity at a Cambodian market or drive to Skoun for some unique fried snacks. The array of delicious morsels this country has to offer are not preserved in strange numbers, packed with nutritional information or shelved.

Try some six-legged snacks, or a few winged-snacks. How about a kilo of jumping snacks? Cambodia is teeming with fried crickets, deep-fried a-ping (tarantulas which some believe stop breathlessness), fried kantes-long (a black beetle), deep-fried kantea-touk (a menthol tasting beetle) fried mea phleang (winged termites), fried pupas, dried clams, lie (freshwater clams), kchorng and kchav (types of snails). How do they taste? And why on earth do Cambodian people like to eat them?

Nowadays, many middle and upper class Cambodians start their careers with golfing entertainment on the side. There are 4 golf courses and 6 driving ranges in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Two golf courses are in the vicinity of Phnom Penh City; one located about 25 km. north-west of the city, the other about 45 km. to the west. And the other two golf courses and two driving ranges are in Siem Reap.

A 38 year old Cambodian man who has been golfing for 8 years estimated that there are about 300 Cambodians playing golf as well as many expatriates who enjoy playing golf in Cambodia because golf is less costly here.

In Cambodia, fireworks say "Kam Chroch" in Khmer language, use for celebration during traditional ceremonies.

If you are a foreigner and can read the Khmer language you might well be horrified to read signs along Cambodian roads saying, "All kinds of kam chroch are sold here", as in English this literally means, "All kinds of missiles sold here".

That may sound frightening, but these are not like the missiles that kill people, because it is when Cambodians organize special ceremonies or during Khmer national celebrations, that these "missiles" are exploded.

Kam chroch may be translated into English with two different meanings. Sometimes, kam chroch does mean "missile" or "rocket"--rockets that Cambodians saw kill and maim many people during the civil war. But the second meaning, and by far the more frivolous, is "fireworks".